About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, July 24, 2017

C is for COUNTRY




Welcome to ABC Wednesday, Round 21 with Melody at the helm.  This week I'd like to tell you a bit about the area where I live, just south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  Although I am only about a 30-minute drive from the city (I think Canadians are about the only people who define distance by time) I am in the countryside.  I have one friend (shout out to Josie) who spends a lot of time with another friend in Iowa (shout out to Russell) who can't believe I am so close to cows, chickens, and corn fields yet also close to specialty coffee shops and cafes, and someplace to purchase an ice-cream cake!

The village of Ladner is a cute little place where people come from all over the area, even from as far away as the north shore of Vancouver (it would take up to an hour and a half to get here) and I've even heard ladies exclaim, "I'm SO glad I heard of Ladner. It's so quaint! I love the chic little shops!"
We have a market every other Sunday from June through to September - it's always crowded! In July, there's the Tour de Delta when riders even from other countries come to compete.  As well, in July, Wellbrook Farm & Winery has their annual Summer Fest and this year also hosted the Deja Vu  Vintage Market.  In August, there is the antique car and quilt show that is also always crowded! We have many heritage buildings, too, including the Ladner United Church (dating back to 1925), the caretaker's cottage in Ladner Harbour Park (dating back to 1939) and Kirkland House out on Arthur Drive, which is a 100-year-old Edwardian farmhouse.
At the edge of the village, we have Ladner Harbour Park where fishermen and boaters moor their boats in the winter, and in summer, they fish or cruise around the waters here.  A little further out in the countryside you'll find farms where you can pick your own strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.  You can stop at farms or roadside stands to purchase freshly picked vegetables like corn, squash, carrots, and potatoes.  There is even another winery out on Westham Island.  Animals you can find easily are cows, horses, and goats plus on the outskirts of Westham Island is the Reifel Waterfowl Refuge where you can walk amongst ducks, geese, cranes and other types of birds. In November, you can see the snow geese as they pause here on their journey further south. If you click on the link for the bird sanctuary, do check out the photos on the site!  They are amazing! Here's a shot I took of a crane years ago.
Yes, living on the edge of both city and country has its benefits.   If I want or need to go into the city, it's only about 30 minutes away.  But I think, at heart, I'm a country girl who loves and appreciates the peace and tranquility that comes from living away from the hustle and bustle of the city

I hope you enjoy a few of my own personal country living photos. Don't forget to turn up the sound, too.
Click to play this Smilebox slideshow

17 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

a calliope of c's!
ROG, ABCW

ABC-Wednesday said...

How wonderful Leslie...

Just this morning I said 'bon boyage' to the son of someone of who I take care of every day, this man is almost 92. His grandson, the son of that son, lives in Canada. Also half an hour drive from Vancouver airport, but although I've asked, I forgot the place where they live in. The son and his wife board a plane tomorrow to fly to Vancouver to visit their son and their son-in-law...and afterwards to travel 4 weeks through your country. I am so looking forward to their stories after returning. ...As he told about hir journey this morning, I thought of you ;-)

Not quite on topic but still. ;-)

Photo Cache said...

Out here in the SF Bay Area, we define distance by time needed to drive it. Friends from the East Coast came to visit last weekend and they were asking us how to get to X destination. Four of us locals unanimously answered in time needed to drive it, with or without traffic, and we even gave the best possible route to get there fastest.

My ABC WEDNESDAY

carol l mckenna said...

Sounds like a lovely place to live with a bit of country and shops and fairs ~ beautiful ~ ^_^

Hildred said...

Ladner is lovely, and so is your Smilebox Playback. Quaint with just a hint of sophistication, and lots of rural delights. Love that goat!!!!

Indrani said...

Good choice of words.
The crane's portrait is fantastic.
Happy ABCW!

Beverley Baird said...

What a lovely place to live! Thanks for the tour!

Betty said...

You've got me hooked. I'm pretty sure I'd love it there. Your photos were wonderful and I enjoyed the sanctuary photos too. I couldn't get over how tame some of those little birds were. Your little town has a lot of appeal. Do a lot of people commute to the city for work?

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Quaint and lovely. You've got the best of two worlds, country and city fixings.
The View from the Top of the Ladder

Anonymous said...

How nice to have a good market! Here I have to travel an hour and half to get to a good one. Love the orange egg holder in your photo!

Anita Sabat said...

Life in the country has a charm of its own!

Gattina said...

Very nice ! I too live at the same time on the countryside, but could walk to the city ! that's ideal !

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I love the country. Yesterday, it was freezing, the walk was good.

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